emotional impact that it has on me and my family and my wife. because i have to teach this. it's a history lesson. history is important. >> i'm don lemon at look who's talking. president obama and house speaker john boehner get together a little more than three weeks before we hit the fiscal cliff. >> gone too soon. a mexican-american singing superstar killed as a small plane plunges into a mountain range. >> just devastated for them. i'm really feeling for them. >> raw and emotional. two radio hosts talk about the family of the nurse who took her own life after getting duped by their prank call.

good morning, to you. welcome to "early start." welcome back, mr. berman. >> it is great to be here. i was on vacation for a week. now i'm back. i'm john berman. it is 5:00 a.m. in the east. i am feeling that. but this, they are talking for the first time in over three weeks. president obama and house speaker john boehner looked each other in the eye and actually had a conversation. now that's a really big deal when it comes to the fiscal cliff crisis. because in just 22 days americans face severe tax hikes and spending cuts unless these two leaders can find a way to compromise. now neither side would discuss specifics about their conversation. but after yesterday's white house meeting, a spokesman for the president said "the lines of communication remain open." now that may be music to the ears of former white house chief of staff erskine bowles, one half of the bowles-simpson reduction duo. >> they started a tango now. you know, any time you got two guys in there tangoing, you have a chance to get it done.

>> brianna keilar is live now from washington. we don't have a lot of details about what went on in that meeting. maybe if they're both not talking, that may be a good thing. >> that's right. in fact, we have almost absolutely no details. the things that really interesting, though, to observers here is the statement that came out from the white house and from the speaker's office. they're the same statement verbatim. they're not leaking details. and that's something that you may see as possibly a good thing. it's certainly not a bad thing. it means they're coordinating and trying to negotiate or speak with good faith here. so this is, as you mentioned, the first time that the two have met in the last 23 days. this is the first time that john boehner and president obama have met one-on-one since election day just to give you a sense. again, to stress no word on progress that they're really get being anywhe -- getting anywhere here. house republicans don't want to cave on the white house's

demand, the tax income race, the income tax rates for the wealthiest americans increase. there does appear to be some movement among some republicans on talking about just maybe caving on that demand. but not increasing the rates as much as the white house wants. listen to republican senator bob corker. >> there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this and realizing we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people are putting forth a theory and i actually think it has merit where you go in and give the president the 2% increase that he's talking about, the rate increase on the top 2% and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements. >> so senator corker, john, is part of a growing number of republicans who are saying that. let's cave on income tax rates. maybe not go all the way up to where the white house and senate democrats want. but let's give some on this so we can talk about entitlement

reform, reforming medicare, reforming social security. this came on the heels of some developments on friday. remember house speaker john boehner came out and said i have no progress. this isn't a progress report. i have no progress to report. but then you also saw maybe the white house signalling that they're negotiable on just how much the rates go up because senator joe biden indicated that as well. >> and maybe with that meeting between the speaker and president, maybe with that statement from senator corker, maybe some movement this weekend which would be a good sign with just over three weeks left to go. brianna keilar in wash, what, thanks very much. it is four minutes past the hour. authorities in mexico found the wreckage of a small plane they believe was warying jenny rivera and six others. rivera's brother says the brother was told there were no survivors. the plane took off early sunday morning with rivera and six others onboard. they were heading to an airport near mexico city. the wreckage was spotted in the mountainous northern state.

we have more on the life of the singer jenni rivera. what can you tell us? >> good morning. she sold 50 million records, won two billboard music awards and was a star of her reality show and served as a judge on a popular talent show in mexico. hard-working until the end. she performed the last concert saturday night in monterey, mexico, hours before dying in a plane crash on her way to yet another commitment. [ speaking spanish ] they call her diva. and for anyone who ever saw her on stage, it was easy to see why. she sang heartwrenching song that's spoke to the common woman, especially mexican-americans. >> translator: every song, every lyric i'm thinking of them and how i can relate to them. >> reporter: jenni rivera was born in long beach, california to mexican parents, their story of humble origins. with an interview in cnn, she

spoke about how she sold records at a los angeles flea market and how the family expected cans for the meager income they could bring in selling the metal. >> translator: it is very flattering when they tell me i'm a great artist, a great entertainer. but when i'm on stage, i can entertain the audience. i can get in the recording studio and come up with a great production. before all that, i was a businesswoman. i'm business minded. >> reporter: in recent years, jenni rivera started several of her own companies including jenni rivera enterprises which produced and marketed her music, a fragrance brand, a jeans factory and a tv production company. she was famous for her electrifying performances on stage but her image was also battered by scandal. a mother of five, she married three times but their relationships were rocky and caused her much anguish and embarrassment. >> translator: staying defeated, crying and suffering was not an option. i had to get back on my feet,

dust myself off and press on. that's what i want to teach my daughters. >> reporter: during her last interview saturday night, jenni rivera told mexican media she needed time to get emotionally well. asked about her christmas plans, she said i want to be with my family but only god knows what's going to happen. a big loss, indeed. >> do we know anything about why that plane went down? was it a helicopter she was on? >> it was a learjet. we don't know exactly why. but what i can tell you is at the time of the crash, it was cloudy in the area. it was in the mountains, remote area in the area of mexico. we don't know that there was some sort of malfunction with the aircraft or if it was humaner jurhuman error. >> thank you for bringing us that story. >> sad, sad story. the radio show that pulled a prank on the hospital where catherine the duchess of cambridge was a patient has been shut down after a nurse committed suicide. the deejays are also talking

saying they came up with the idea as a team and expected to be hung up on. they're also saying that they are stunned by the nurse's death. >> unfortunately, i remember that moment very well because i haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened. >> when you found out she was of two children -- >> very sorry and saddened for the family. i can't imagine what they're going through. >> and what about you, michael? >> gutted. you know, shattered. heart broken. >> the nurse who transferred their call to the ward tuesday was found dead on friday. duke and duchess of cambridge are deeply saddened about her death. some right to work opponents are expected to converge on michigan's capitol today. the protest is expected to swell to thousands tomorrow when the state house and senate will try to hammer out a final version which will make michigan the 24th right to work state.

supporters say the legislation will spark economic growth and encourage fairness. opponents say it will lower wages and benefits and hurt the middle class and that strong unions built michigan's middle class. >> so fedex is bracing for the busiest day ever. ever. the company is expecting to handle 19 million packages today. that's 200 packs per second. the internet sales are booming and that is increasing volume by 10% over last year. >> i just ordered a ton last night. >> you're single-handedly responsible -- >> i'll be part of that. get it on time. that's all i say. the daring rescue of an american held in afghanistan comes at a very steep price. we're going to go live to the pentagon for more on the top secret mission. that's coming up. ♪

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abducted in manufacturing. during t -- in afghanistan. what is the latest, barbara? >> john, good morning. we expect perhaps as soon as later today to learn the name of the navy seal who died in this hostage rescue attempt. dr. joseph of the nonprofit medical agency that was working in afghanistan kidnapped by the taliban, he was rescued. but, of course, this navy seal died in that attempt. what we now know is that this man was a member of seal team six. actually known inside the military as the special warfare development group. the same elite team that went on the osama bin laden raid. we don't know yet if this fallen seal was part of the bin laden mission. the president even putting out a statement about this late yesterday saying, "he gave his life for his fellow americans, and he and his teammates remind

us once more of the selfless service that allows our nation to stay strong, safe, and free." and, of course, it's a good moment to pause, isn't it, and remember all of those who serve and the fallen. the u.s. military this year so far, john, has lost 305 in afghanistan. >> so important to remember, barbara. as you said, the doctor and the mission was successful. the doctor was rescued? >> yes, he was. taken to a u.s. military hospital where he's recovering. i think we can expect him to be on his way home to see his family very shortly. you know, i just wand to add, the u.s. military has specially trained hostage rescue teams that are special forces. it's some of the most dangerous business that the u.s. military can do. but by all accounts the navy seal was killed by small arms fire which suggests, and we don't know the details yet, that certainly suggest that's there was quite a fire fight during this mission, john.

>> barbara star from the pentagon, thank you. let's get you up to date. here is christine romans with this morning's top stories. >> president obama and house speaker john boehner finally meeting face-to-face over the fiscal cliff. they sat down at the white house yesterday. neither side is discussing details. both agree the lines of communication remain open. massive tax hikes and spending cuts take hold in 22 days if the two leaders can't work out a deal. >> a busy day sunday at seattle city hall. 133 same-sex couples tied the knot. sarah and emily cover were among the first couples to get married. the same-sex couples married sunday in seattle were among the first to pick up their marriage licenses last thursday. the state required a three-day waiting period before ceremonies. european union leaders are in oslo to receive the nobel

peace prize. hundreds of protesters have been braving oslo's snow. the prize was meant to honor contributions to disarmament and eu member states account for a third of global arms exports. >> thanks, christine. it is now 15 minutes after the hour. time for "early read," your local newsmaking national headlines. a big medical story in the "philadelphia enquirer." it's in a lot of papers this morning. very promising progress in the fight against leukemia. this is happening in the university of pennsylvania where doctors are using gene therapy to irrad indicate certain cancer cells. the first cases, seven of them are now free of the disease. the findings are already being presented by penn's research team. they use disabled hiv virus to help deliver these cells into the system. it's amazing technology showing

incredible promise. >> that will be quite a breakthrough. 16 minutes past the hour. the state of florida is considering a way to change plans the way college students are charged tuition. governor rick scott wants to charge each student according to their major. christine romans is going to love this. engineers, scientists and technology experts are in demand, students with those majors would pay less than students majoring in disciplines like history, philosophy, or even english. i don't know how i feel about that. the idea is to steer kids towards fields where there is the most need. they'll take up the idea during the next legislation. >> it's innovative, but for humanities majors like me, is it fair to pay more to study that stuff? but, you know, you have to -- >> i'm sure they'll debate this. head to our blog, c cnn.com/earlystart. >> so if the faa's ban on smart phones in the air have you frustrated, you have an ally in

washington. surprising frank comments from the head of the fcc just back from vacation, comments from the fcc coming up. >> and you can't go back. there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62% is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel.

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averages down. the eu markets are down because the italian prime minister announced over the weekend he will resign early. earlier than had been expected. and also we got new economic data that showed japan has slipped into a technical recession. they looked at their numbers. they revised the data. japan is technically in a recession. you have more uncertainty in italy. one of the important countries. and also you have this concern happening in japan. we have this week, ben bernanke and the fed will meet at a two-day fed meeting. a lot of people are hoping to hear from the federal reserve chief that there will be some kind of on going stimulus in the form of, you know, bond buybacks or something. we'll be looking to see what he has to say about the economy. this is another big uncertainty in the markets for the week. you know, this comes after consumer spending showing as "the wall street journal" set this morning, consumer spending, consumer confidence wabbling. this is europe concerns. we're seeing that consumer heading into the end of the year

is starting to get a little more nervous about where we're headed here. now fiscal cliffs and payroll, fiscal cliff has a lot to do with this. the american payroll association this is the trade group for all of the small business who's are doing payrolls, you know, paying you. they say the fiscal cliff really isn't january 1st. their fiscal cliff is december 14th. that's the time they need to have the software changed to make sure the tax changes go into the paycheck. >> that's not going to happen by the 14th. >> it's not going to happen about it 14th. that's why small businesses are concerned. let me tell you what they say. a delay in legislation beyond december 14th doesn't give all businesses enough time to update their payroll systems for early january paychecks. and they go on. it's even worse. the two worst case scenarios according to the payroll folks, congress comes to an agreement after january 1 and applies new rules retro actively. the software can't handle it, or last minute agreement keeps rates as they are for a few months. this would even confuse the payroll software programs because some only calculate a year at a time.

so pulling their hair out is what is going on. >> so weird to me. at the end of the day we've been talking about the fiscal cliff for a long time. you think they would have been working on this. >> they had been. >> they can't get it together. >> look, think if you were a small business. you have ten employees, right? you're just trying to weather, you know, demand that's down. you're trying to implement health care reform. you're trying to do all these other things and waiting for congress to fix the fiscal cliff and it hasn't quite happened yet. i mean what do you -- what do do you? i don't even know what some of these folks can do. >> can we switch gears? >> yeah, let me tell you about the fcc? >> sure. >> do you want to talk on your phone on the plane? >> yes, i do. >> i'm not sure i want everybody else to talk on the plane. >> put on the head phones. >> the top person at the fcc, the fcc chairman said on friday that the faa's policy on in-flight electronics bans is in question. 20 years of research doesn't show any kind of messing up with the planes and navigation of the systems. why is it in place? i think we're moving down this

road. >> so no more cheating? no more people sitting with their blackberries. >> turn everything off. i think it's a great idea. charter planes allowed only. it doesn't interfere. >> must be nice to fly on charter. >> i know this because i know someone who flies charter. i have another question for you. i said you would like this. this is in florida. the discounted tuition for majors in engineering, science, health care and technology. how do you feel about that? >> i think it's a good thing. look, way back in the beginning of federal student loans, the federal student loans were for math and science, areas of economy the government after the world war ii was eager to get filled. and there are a lot of people who talk about using, you know, incentives like lower tuition or federally backed student loans for areas in the economy that we need to be focusing on. otherwise, you know, there are kids who are not all stem majors. so that's a problem, too. >> there's the problem. >> the argument for the humanities is often that learning how to learn, learning skills in the humanities sometimes sets you up for any number of things including,

perhaps, working in the stem fields. z >> you're right. the highest paid humanities majors are in the stem fields. there's a huge pricetag difference if you stick around for another 25 minutes i'll tell you. >> okay, we appreciate. that. >> just one of the reasons to stick around for at least 25 minutes. >> says the liberal arts major. >> that's right. >> all right. 26 minutes past the hour. what happens in vegas did not stay there. coming up, mitt romney's face-to-face encounter with manny paqiao. and if you're leaving the house right now, you can watch us any time on your desktop or mobile phone. monaco, home of the legendary grand prix circuit. the perfect place to bring the all-new cadillac ats to test the 2.0-liter turbo engine. [ engine revs ] ♪ [ derek ] 272 horsepower. the lightest in its class.

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its dallas cowboys rally even as a teammate is accuse of the death of another. >> the safety of the food we all eat. >> and two men who took a beating. the inside scoop on mitt romney's prefight pep talk with boxer manny paquiao. >> really? >> i'm not sure romney is the one you want to see before a big fight. but, hey, it actually happened. welcome back to "early start," everyone. >> it's 30 minutes past the hour. the lines of communication are officially open in the fight over the fiscal cliff. in 22 days we go over that edge. that's when sweeping tax hikes and spending cuts kick in unless a deal gets done. after 23 days without uttering a

word to each other face-to-face, that is, president obama and house speaker john boehner sat down at the white house yesterday. they talked. so let's bring in brianna keilarment she is live in washington. so congress is scheduled to break for the holidays later this week. where do we go from here? how are these talks? >> we don't know. that's the thing. we know they spoke. in fact, it's somewhat remarkable that both the white house and speaker boehner's office put out statements simply saying that the two men had spoken. the lines of communication are open. and they were the same verbatim. that is something you can look at as some progress, perhaps. certainly it is promising may be the better way to put it. there is coordination there. they seem to be talking in good faith, trying to keep, i guess, their cards very close to the vest. and that is something that maybe is seen as promising. again, there is no word on actual progress on the fact that they're closer to a deal. and officially at this point, house republicans are still

unwilling to bend to the president's demand that those income tax rates for wealthier americans increase. that said, there is a growing number of republicans who are saying, you know what? let's cave on the president's demand. let's not go all the way up to the rate he wants. but let's do something. listen to senator bob corker. >> there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this and realizing we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people are putting forth a theory. i actually think it has merit where you go in and give the president the 2% increase that he's talking about, the rate increase on the top 2%. and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements. >> so he's saying increase tax rates, maybe a little, not the full amount that the white house wants so that republicans can get in the game, talking about entitlement reform, reforming medicare and social security. this came after the white house signaled on friday through joe biden that while they will not

cave on their demand for the rates to go up, perhaps just by how much that may be negotiable. >> but there is still infighting amongst republicans on that same issue. >> sure. there is a lot of in fighting. you listen to senator corker there. yes, he's a republican. yes, there are a number of republicans in the senate who seem to be of one mind with him on this. but the issue is you don't have high profile republicans in the house who are saying the same thing. en that is who the president is bargaining with, obviously, at this point since he is talking to speaker boehner. he has to win over some votes there. that's why you look at this going it's great that they're talking, but we don't know that there's really officially any movement. >> yeah. at the end of the day, who's going to jump onboard? brianna keilar live in washington, thank you. 33 minutes after the hour right now. dallas cowboys nose tackle josh brent is out of jail now. investigators believe he was driving drunk when his mercedes flipped and caught fire early saturday morning. brent was released sunday on $500,000 bond. he's now facing charges of

intoxicated manslaughter in a dallas suburb of irving, texas. the 25-year-old linebacker jerry brown jr. died in this crash. and just as brent was getting out of jail, his teammates were pulling off an emotional last second victory over the cincinnati bengals. and here's the cowboys coach jason garrett said. >> we lost a 25-year-old young man who had his whole life in front of him. a teammate, a friend. and it's a real tragedy. i think everyone in our organization who knew him is completely numb and has been numb for the last couple days. the united states and some of the allies in europe are using defense contractors to train syrian rebels on how to secure chemical weapons stockpiles according to a senior u.s. official and several senior diplomats. the training is taking place in turkey and jordan. we're told some of the contractors are on the ground in syria monitoring suspected chemical weapons sites. >> the north koreans are holding off launching a long range

rocket, so far. earlier this not north korean government announced a 13-day window for possible launch. that window opens today. they're claiming it's a peaceful bid to advance the space program. the u.s. sees it as something more sinister and is threatening sanctions if this launch takes place. >> hugo chavez is heading back to cube yach to cuba. the venezuelan president naming his vice president as his choice to take over that country if surgery doesn't go so well. the 58-year-old chavez is scheduled to be sworn in for a new six-year term next month. internet anti-virus pioneer john mcafee says he wants to go back to the united states, not back to belize. authorities in belize say they want to question him about the murder of his neighbor. speaking from an immigration detention senter in guatemala city, mcafee took to the web to explain why he is fighting extradition to belize. >> it is believed that belize is not a corrupt government. that does it not lie, that it

would not execute people without the judicial process, that is, extra judicial murders or executions could not occur. that belize is not a corrupt government. this is untrue. >> mcafee's bid for asylum in gouatemala was rejected last week. >> silencing his critics with one vicious right hook knocking his opponent out in las vegas saturday. this was the fourth time the fighter's met in the ring. the first time arquez won even though he claimed victory in the previous three fights. that puts a super fight between pacaio and mayweather. >> the strangest twist in this fight, went 12 rounds with the president. but look who was spotted ringside at the fight. yes, that is mit and ann romney.

he visited him before the fight in his dressing room. this is what he reportedly said. he said hello, manny. i ran for president. i lost. how is that for a pep talk? you know, he is a politician. he served as a congressman in his native philippines. i mean i can't believe that pep talk before the fight. >> we don't have a picture of romney when that happened, when -- >> the knockout? >> no. we don't have that picture. >> if you look at mitt romney and then ann romney, he is -- he reacts. she's calm, cool and collected. i don't know if i could sat in the front row. >> it was an incredible fight. >> you are surprised? you were visiting him not too long ago. >> i'm not shocked. over the last year or two, it's been fairly obvious that he lost a step. i talked to his trainer a couple weeks ago and he admits he is not the fighter was a few years ago. what is fascinating now is that manny told me two weeks ago he only had one or two fights left in him. so now the question is will he fight again? >> and didn't he predict a

knockout that he was going to deliver the knockout? >> he was going for it. he felt to win this fight, he had to knock out marques. the judges had him ahead on points. if this was a brutal boxing match. i mean they were pounding each other, pounding each other. someone was going to go down. it was paciao that went down first. >> remarkable. 37 minutes past the hour. you know about the tax hikes and spending cuts that will kick in when we reach that fiscal cliff. you might not know what could happen to the food we eat. we'll take a look coming up. there are plenty of reasons to be jolly at the chevy year-end event because chevy's giving more. more efficiency with sonic and cruze... more function in equinox and traverse... more dependability with the legendary silverado... and more style in the all-new malibu. chevy's giving more at the year-end event because 'tis the season. chevy's giving more. this holiday season, get a 2013 cruze ls for around $169 per month or get $500 holiday bonus cash.

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welcome back to "early start." while we wait to see if washington can hammer out a deal to avoid going over the fiscal cliff, plans are under way in case they do not. agencies including the ones that regulate our food are looking at their bottom lines. emily schmitt reports that has some families wondering what the cuts could mean to them. >> reporter: preparing for the

holidays at paul and tressa's house is a reminder of something else just around the corner, a fiscal cliff deadline that is personal here. >> i just can't imagine funding being cut at this point. it would be tragic. >> reporter: she is worried mandatory budget cuts would hurt food safety inspection. that mattered to her since her twins were born in 1999. >> she was in the hospital for two weeks, luke for three. >> reporter: she and her babies got list teara poisoning from meat she ate while pregnant. contaminated food sickens about 48 million people a year, 3,000 people die. so the fda and the usda's food safety and inspection service are charged with protecting the food supply. an 8.2% budget cut translates to a combined 157 million dollars. there is no word exactly what cuts would mean to inspectors staffing. >> both fda and usda are stretched pretty thin when it comes to the inspection activities in the food safety work they do. they really need an increased resources and not fewer

resources. >> agencies always say they're stretched. >> reporter: dean clancy is with freedom works, an organization that promotes smaller government and he says the cuts leave nothing to fear. >> arguing that getting spending under control and dangerous public health and safety is a really irresponsible scare tactic, especially when you realize that these aren't real cuts. these are reductions from anticipated increases in spending. >> cut the budget for the work that these agencies do, it's going to significantly impact them today. it's going to significantly impact them tomorrow. >> you made that one, didn't you? >> tressa bennett and her kids are healthy and food safety advocates. >> remember, we all have to eat. >> reporter: and they say, nobody should have to fear what they eat. a company that tracks food recalls says there were 414 last quarter. the highest level in at least two years. most of the recalls came from worries about food borne illness. i want to bring you into the

conversation. this is something that you have been warning us about for a very long time. things are going to change. things we don't necessarily think about. this is a big issue. >> take this and multiply it across the agencies, you know, the government trying to protect you. with a globalized food system, you hear consumer groups say over and over again, we're the safest food in the world in this country and we're not catching everything. and we have just such an amazing diverse way we're moving food around the country. now you're talking about big cutbacks. the problem with fiscal cliff, it's not as if it's five years out or three years out where there is planning. this is something happening very quickly and very indiscrimina indiscriminately. the agencies won't say how they're going to cut. but last week they were told by the office of management budget in the white house, identify your cuts and get ready because we're close. we're almost there. >> 22 days. >> 22 days. >> all right. thank you, christine. >> you're welcome. >> 44 minutes after the hour.

they haven't seen snow like this in a couple of years. coming up, minnesota is slammed by a whopper of a storm. if you are leaving the house right now, can you watch us on your desktop or mobile phone. [ male announcer ] it's that time of year again. time for citi price rewind. because your daughter really wants that pink castle thing. and you really don't want to pay more than you have to. only citi price rewind automatically searches for the lowest price. and if it finds one, you get refunded the difference. just use your citi card and register your purchase online. have a super sparkly day! ok. [ male announcer ] now all you need is a magic carriage. citi price rewind. start saving at citi.com/pricerewind.

it is 48 minutes after the hour. we want to bring you up to speed on all the top stories. christine romans is here with that. >> there is movement over the fight over the fiscal cliff.

john boehner and the president sitting down for an unscheduled meeting at the white house yesterday. no details about their discussion were released. both sides say the lines of communication remain open with just 22 days left before tax hikes and spending cuts take hold. >> opponents of egyptian president mohamed morsi are not letting up. they're calling for nationwide protests after morsi refused to set a date. he gave himself sweeping parties and wasn't enough to appease his critics. >> packers quarterback aaron rodgers running for a 27-yard touchdown. yeah, that's the longest in his career. green bay's 27-20 victory over detroit. packers now have an nfl record 22-game winning streak at home against the lions and can clinch the nfc north next weekend. but that would require a win over chicago. it's hanukkah time. that's what they did in washington sunday. the national hanukkah menorah

was illuminated during a ceremony outside the white house. it stands adjacent to the white house christmas tree. as he's done for 20 years, the rabbi presided over that ceremony. 20 years. that is quite a streak. >> very nice. thank you. 49 minutes past the hour. people waking up in minnesota right now have a little work to do, i would say so. there is as much as 17 inches of snow waiting to be shoveled outside. in some parts of the state, it sure looks pretty, doesn't it? alexandra steel is in for rob marciano. let it snow. >> absolutely. a snow on hanukkah. we have to love that. this is their livelihood there. it's been a poultry few years, biggest snow in minneapolis in two years. and certainly it's february 2011 when they had this. last year in minneapolis, they only had 22 inches. the biggest snow was four. it's been poultry. so we're bringing it on. maplewood, minnesota, 14.7. that's about 14 miles east of

minneapolis. eau claire, 0 inch12 inches, yo the picture. the cold air in place. the arctic air moved in with the moisture. we got all that snow. but, you can see what happened. here's the radar. all the snow is gone. dry air is working in there. arctic air is there. so right now minneapolis, it feels like 3. but farther east where that moisture is, you can see, look at this big front with all this rain and severe weather. so we've got snow, severe weather and record heat potentially from new york down to washington and florida. so here's what's happening in the northeast. albany right now, it's 40. no snow for you. it's really northern maine that will get eight to ten inches of snow. farther south along the front, tennessee, one to two inches of rain potentially for you. and that's where kithe greatest convection s look at all the lightning strikes. we actually have a tornado warning already this morning. it expired two minutes before

5:00. record heat, believe it or not today, new york city could get to 60, 61. jfk, 57. the old report just one degree north of that. washington, potentially 66. pensacola, florida, it's a quick hitter. one day warmth then that big front we were watching moves in and cools you off dramatically. temperatures tomorrow about 10 to 15 degrees colder than today. there's the severe weather potentially birmingham, atlanta, and major dense fog out there this morning, guys. so traveling with the rain, severe weather, the snow, you can only imagine washington down to atlanta the trouble ithe air today. so bank on a really long commute whether you're driving or flying. >> she had snow on hanukkah. i'm dreaming of a white hanukkah is one of my favorite holiday songs. >> thank you for that. >> i was trying to get him to sing this morning. >> not on the tv. i have to cut back. >> none of us are good. >> thanks. >> yep. >> in a packed hour straight ahead on "early start" including the most trusted advisors of the most powerful men in the world. we take a look at the dogs of

war, how canines helped fdr and patten helped win world war ii and how dogs like bo obama still have a special place in america. the author of "dogs of war" is here. she'll tell us which dog actually had a military rank. >> did you call him bo obama? >> that's his name. >> and fire in the sky. a fireball streaking across the texas sky has people buzzing. and nasa explaining that. but first, "gangnam style" goes to washington after the singer is forced to apologize for anti-american lyrics from years ago. that though, there's a kick to it. wahlalalalallala! smooth, but crisp. it's kind of like drinking a food that's a drink, or a drink that's a food, woooooh! [ male announcer ] taste it and describe the indescribable. could've had a v8.

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welcome back, everyone. 56 minutes after the hour. you're taking a look at a top cnn trends on the internet this morning. >> right. after taking a lot of heat for a hateful rap against u.s. soldiers, the man with the viral hit "gangman style," the most watched video in youtube history was spotted shaking hands with president obama over the weekend. he performed at a white house charity event which raises money for children's national medical centers. he apologized after a video surfaced of him taking place in a protest concert against the united states. it was a decade ago in which he rapped about slowfully and painfully killing u.s. military members and their families. >> this is reassuring. the u.s. government is now trying to settle nerves about the world possibly coming to an end in a couple weeks. the government official website published a blog titled "scary rumors about the world ending in 2012 are just rumors.

manufacture the rumors involve the mayan call an der ending in 2012. the world will not end on december 21st, 2012 or any day in 2012. >> how do you know? >> because the government tells me so. you have to come to work. >> trust the government. late night last night, snl taking a leap off the fiscal cliff. take a look. >> in order to get the support of the speaker, i agree there will be no tax increases. i repeat, zero tax increases. now why would i do that? i mean i won the election. i had the leverage. why give in? well, simply put, i felt sorry for this man. earlier this week i found my way into the congressional cafeteria and what do i see? john boehner sitting by himself.

all alone. not a single member of his party willing to share a seat. dent even have any milk to drink because, well, tell them why, john. >> they took my milk and threw it in the garbage. >> "early start" continues right now. i'm so devastated for them. i'm really feeling for them. >> breaking radio silence. two deejays talk about the family of the nurse who took her own life after getting duped by their prank call. top secret rescue mission. an american saved in afghanistan but at a heavy price. >> look who's talking. president obama and john boehner finally get together a little more than three weeks before we hit the fiscal cliff. good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> it's so night to you have

back, john. it's 6:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. the two men who stand between all of us and the fiscal cliff are finally speaking face-to-face. president obama and house speaker john boehner actually looked into each other's eyes yesterday and they talked. that's a very big deal. in 22other's eyes and talked. unless these two leaders can reach a compromise, we face skyrocketing taxes. after yesterday's us who meeting arc i spokesperson says "the lines of communication remain open." that is promising according to white house chief of staff. >> they started a tango now and any time you got two guys in there tangoing, have you a chance to get it done. >> white house correspondent brianna keilar live from washington. congress scheduled to break for the holidays later this week. any idea when the speaker and president might meet again.

the million dollar question. >> yes, and we don't have the answer. a little time, since obviously now we'll see where they move from here. yes, this he are talking. specifically what are they talking about? we don't know. both sides are mum. both the speaker's office and the white house put out statements saying after the fact that the president and speaker had met and that as you mentioned, the lines of communication were open. these are verbatim, the same statement, the coordination, where they are putting out very little information, trying to stay on the same page publicly. that can be seen as progress. that said, republicans are not bending to the demand of president obama that they let income tax rates for wealthy americans go up. there are a number of republicans, small but growing, saying, you know what? let's the rates go up, not as much as the president wants them to. here is senator bob corker. >> yes ther, there is a growingp

of folks who says we don't have a lot of cards on the table. a lot of people are putting forth a theory, you go in, give the president the 2% increase that he's talking about. the rate increase on the top 2%, and all of a sudden, the shift goes back to entitlements. >> corker is saying, let's deal with these income tax rates, and then let's talk about entitlement reform. reforming medicare, social security. but, zoraida, the truth is, this is a senate republican and a number of senate republicans are one mind with bob kocorker, but house republicans are the ones to need t find a feel. >> thank you. another story. authorities in mexico found the

wreckage of a plane that they believe was carrying jenni rivera and six others. it took off from monterey, mexico. and heading to an airport near mexico, city, it was spotted in nuevo leon. rafael romo is live with the more on the life of singer jenni rivera. >> just as popular in mexico as she was with mexican americans on this side of the border, especially in california where she was born. after selling more than 15 million records and winning two billboard music awards, she was working hard on her tv career, and died on the way to a talent show, where she was serving as a judge. ♪ >> they called her diva, and for anyone whoever saw her on stage it was easy to see why. she spoke to the common woman, especially mexican americans.

>> translator: every song, every lyric, i'm thinking of them and how i can relate to them with my music. >> jenni rivera was born in long beach, california to mexican parents. their story, that of many mexican immigrants of humble beginnings. she spoke about how she sold music records at a los angeles flea market, and how the family collected cans for the meager income they could bring in selling the metal. >> translator: it is very flattering when they tell me a great artist, a great entertainer that i can get in the recording studio and come up with a great production, but before all of that, i was a businesswoman. i'm primarily business minded. >> reporter: in recent years, jenni started several of her own companies, including one that produced and marketed her music, a fragrance brand, jeans company and tv production company. she was famous for her

electrifying productions on stage. a mother of five she can married three times, but the relationships were rocky and caused her much anguish and embarrassment. >> translator: staying defeated, crying and suffering was not an option. i had to get back on my feet, dust myself off and press on. that's what i want to teach my daughters. >> more recently, jenni made headlines when she announced in october that her marriage to a player for the new york yankees and los angeles dodgers was coming to an end. she just wanted to be with her family for the holidays and needed some time off to get emotionally well. john. >> any more details about what may have caused the plane to go down? >> it is difficult to tell at this time. what we know, at the time of the crash, john, it was very cloudy in that area where it happened, nuevo leon is a mountainous

area. we don't have any indication if it was a problem with the plane itself or human error. >> rafael romo, thank you very much. five minutes past the hour. the radio show that pulled a prank on the hospital where katherine was admitted has been taken off the air. they are stunned by the nurse's death. >> unfortunately, i remember the moment very well, i haven't stopped thinking about it since it happened. >> when you found out she was of two children, how did -- >> very sorry and saddened for the family and i can't imagine what they are going through. >> what about you, michael? >> gutted. gutted. you know, shattered. heartbroken. >> jacintha saldanha was found

dead on friday. she was duped to believing that the queen was on the phone to speak with the duchess. and expected to converge on michigan's capitol, a protest will swell to thousands tomorrow, a final version to make michigan the 24th right to work state. the legislation will encourage fairness. o others say it will hurt the middle class. it could be a record-shattered day for fedex. the company expected to handle 19 million packages today. 200 packages per second and it would be an all-time high. the reason? internet sales are exploding. >> and the other reason? you did all of your shopping last night. >> yes. and the nobel peace prize

will be given out in oslo. hundreds of protesters have been braving oslo's snow, saying it was meant to honor contributions to disarmament. details about a top-secret mission in afghanistan to rescue an american held by the taliban. coming up, how the u.s. military's elite pay paid a steep price. all waking up. connecting to the global phenomenon we call the internet of everything. ♪ it's going to be amazing. and exciting. and maybe, most remarkably, not that far away. we're going to wake the world up. and watch, with eyes wide, as it gets to work. cisco. tomorrow starts here. cisco.

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afghanistan. it during the mission, they lose a member of s.e.a.l. team 6. barbara starr, following all of the developments for us. what is the latest? >> zoraida, good morning. we haven't yet learned the name of the navy s.e.a.l. who was killed. hes part of what we in the public know as s.e.a.l. team 6. it is known as the special warfare development group. one of the most elite units in the u.s. military. they went to rescue dr. joseph who had been kidnapped and doing humanitarian relief work in afghanistan. and the doctor's family has put out a statement. i want to read part of that to you. it says "we want to extend our deepest condolences to the family of the american sailor who died during dilip's rescue. we couldn't be more grateful for the soldier's heroism and the bravery of all involved in the mission to bring dilip hope."

we expect possibly to publicly learn his name later today. zoraida. >> do we know how the s.e.a.l. died? >> well, all that military officials are saying so far is he died of small arms fire. we don't know, but it does suggest there was a fire fight, and very close, very nasty fire fight possibly. the military teams are specially trained in hostage rescue, and they go into some of the most dangerous situations. of course, it's also a good moment to remember all of those who have served and fallen. 305 americans so far this year in afghanistan, zoraida. >> what do we know about the condition of the doctor who was rescued? >> it was said that he was transferred to an american military hospital in afghanistan and most likely will be on his way home at some point to reunite with his family.

>> barbara starr, thank you. 13 minutes past the hour. up to speed on the top stories. christine romans is here. a potential break in the fiscal cliff deal. john boehner and president obama meeting face to face at the white house yesterday. first time they've had direct talks in more than three weeks. with 22 days until we go over the cliff and congress set to go on holiday break on friday. neither side is discussing details of the talks. both agree the line of communication remain open. no sign of a north korean rocket launch, yet. they announced a 13-day window for a possible long-range rocket launch. the window opens today. they claim it's a peaceful bid to advance their space program, but the u.s. sees it as more ominous and is threatening sanctions if the launch takes place. a very festive and busy sunday at seattle city hall. 133 same-sex couples tied the knot in seattle on the day gay marriage became legal in washington state. sara and emily koefert the first

couple to get married at 12:04 a.m. the same-sex couples marrying in seattle were the first to pick up marriage licenses on thursday in the state. the state requires a three-day waiting period before the ceremonies. a fireball streaking through the sky in houston has people talking. most likely a meteor. but not associated with the g jeminid meteor showers. >> as they say on "the x files," the truth is out there. 15 minutes after the hour. time for early read. local news making national headlines, this from "l.a. times." an article on the death of jenni rivera. her small plane went down in mexico. rivera was called the diana ross of mexican music. fans will remember her marathon

concerts. sometimes performed for more than four hours at a time and also was quite a businesswoman. sold more than 20 million albums and starred in a reality tv show and recently launched her own clothing and cosmetic s line. >> leiaves behind five children as well. hugo chavez, venezuelan president's cancer has returned. his vice president is the choice to take over if cancer surgery doesn't go well. chavez should be worn in for a new six-year term in january. >> romo says this will move markets all over south america too. >> when you heard the announcement, a lot of people said it sounded like his good-bye. >> certainly did. >> 16 minutes past the hour. extended look for our top stories, head to cnn.com/earlystart and twitter and facebook. search for early start cnn. coming up this sunday on the

next list, a successful arts studio, but he made his mark on the corporate world as cofounder of square. >> it allows small businesses to accept credit cards. his company worth billions. but he's still an artist at heart. >> art is what can't be proven mathematically, right? where science ends, the part that makes you feel good, but you don't know why. the way the object feels in your hand and looks, and if it's perfectly created, you can almost explain it to somebody else afterward. but in the creation part, you can't. you can see how glass is hon stantly moving. my job is to shape it. balance it at the same time. you can do that, you get these wonderful shapes. glass really rewards risk. a lot of times with glass, are you waiting for the material to

cool down and split seconds where have you literally a fraction of a second, and you don't get to repeat it if you do it wrong. there's a performance to it, sort of like dancing. you can't think about it and do it well. you have to do it enough that it becomes mechanical and free your mind to design. >> watch "the next list" on sunday, december 16th 2:00 p.m. eastern on cnn. with the talk of the fiscal cliff, another plunge you might have missed. the welcome trend at the gas pumps. coming up, i love sharing good news. like a lot of things,

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with odor free aspercreme. powerful medicine relieves pain fast, with no odor. so all you notice is relief. aspercreme. you are looking at a picture of atlanta right now. there, showing you atlanta, not only because it's a great city, but we're told we can't show new york but it's too foggy right now. >> seriously? >> that's what we're told. a beautiful picture of atlanta. >> that's lovely. i was going to say, not new york city. >> minding your business this morning. new york stock futures down after closing mixed on friday. >> christine romans here. european markets down as well. not just because of concerns about the fiscal cliff in the united states. >> mario monte, called

supermario in the eu. he has announced an early resignation. markets down. and japan is technically in a recession, the world's third largest economy. took a look at numbers and japan technically recession. the mood dour around the world. the fed this week, fed meeting two-day fed meeting, ben bernanke and federal reserve officials, will they announce a new federal stimulus? a lot of reasons to be on guard. "the wall street journal" front page, the wobbling consumer. friday, more data about the consumer. consumer spending, consume err sentiment. jobs growing, not so robustly. you have the consumer angle, and another reason why confidence is weakening, the deadline. the fiscal cliff for companies, small businesses really december 14th. december 14th? what are you talking about?

>> think about when you get paid. when does your paycheck come? they have to start changing payroll processes now for january 1st of next year. software, they've got they don't even know what your tax withholding rates are going to be. the american payroll association says to congress, a delay in legislation beyond december 14th doesn't give all businesses enough time to update and test their systems for early january paychecks. the two worst-case scenarios according to this group, a deal after january 1st, where you are applying retroactive rules, or delaying the decision a few months. they don't have the ability to go back, to go back and reconfigure everything for five months behind us. so it's a real mess. >> bad news. i want good news. and you were talking about a plunge. gas prices are down. a lot. >> a gas crash. gas prices down 46 cents over the past two months. a couple of things. slow growing economy. using less of it. and a lot of the bottlenecks, refinery problems, clearing up.

the national arriverage, $3.30. and people in the industry continue to expect to watch prices to fall. and on it is west coast, biggest drops. still higher this year than last, but trend, they have been cut here. >> one thing we need to know about our money? >> the one thing about money, the choice of a college degree affects how much money you make. engineering majors earn 3.5 million over a 40-year career. median earnings for all majors, 2.4 million. and education, 1.8 million. this goes into our discussion, should be lower tuition for students in the in-demand fields. they should make more money. >> not all about money. let's be clear. science, technology, math, fantastic things, but we need to be careful about undervaluing things like english, languages,

arts. >> one of the reasons why we are so innovative. all of the stem majors, but they say how do we make a university system like the american university system and that comes from liberal arts. >> the humanity part is the part they are looking for. thank you. 25 minutes past the hour. emotional roller coster in the nfl. how the dallas cowboy has to overcome a life and death crisis off the field. and focus on victory. and leaving the house, watch us any time on desk top or mobile phone, at cnn.com/tv. list of almost two thousand corporate partners - companies like microsoft, american red cross and adobe - to create options for you. not only that, we're using what we learn from these partners to shape our curriculum, so that when you find the job you want you'll be a perfect fit. let's get to work.

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unwanted and dangerous. hardened criminals released from prison, when they are on supposed to be deported. the journalist behind the shocking report. dramatic victory amid a devastating loss. the dallas cowboys rally. and the dogs of war.

the hidden story of three canines who may have had a big impact on american history. seriously. >> nothing better than famous dogs. >> nothing better than dogs, period. welcome to "early start." i'm zoraida sambolin. >> and i'm john berman. 29 minutes past the hour. big news in the fiscal cliff fiasco. john boehner and president obama are finally talking to each other. in 22 days, we go over the cliff's edge, when sweeping tax hikes and spending cuts kick in unless a deal gets done and congress set to go on holiday recess on friday. it must be nice for them. after 23 days of out speaking face to face, president obama and house speaker boehner sat down face to face and had a real-life discussion. i want to bring in white house correspondent brianna killeilar live from washington. we don't have a lot of details. maybe that's a good thing. >> that may be a good thing. the white house and speaker's office putting out a statement

really just saying the two men are talking and lines of communication are open. they appear to be talking in good faith. but we don't have any specifics. it's important to notice that this conversation is going on. the president and the speaker, haven't met, have not met for a little over three weeks when they sat down yesterday. and they actually hadn't met one-on-one since the election. it's a pretty big deal. we don't know exactly if there are progress on specifics. republicans, publicly, saying they don't want to bow. house republicans to the white house insistence that income tax rates for the wealthiest americans increase. that said there, are republicans who say, yeah, we should go ahead and do that listen to senator bob corker. >> yes, there is a growing group of folks that are looking at this, and realizing we don't have a lot of cards as it relates to the tax issue before year end. a lot of people putting forth a theory, and i think it has merit, where you go in and give

the president the 2% chris thin that he's talking about and all of a sudden the shift goes back to entitlements. >> he's saying, john, increase the rates, yes, maybe not as much as the white house wants, but give them something, and move on to talking about reforming medicare and social security. this on the heels of what may have been an opening by the white house. joe biden saying on friday, he wasn't going to budge. the white house wasn't going to budge on whether the rates should be increased. how much? that may be negotiable. john. >> any sense of what's next? more meetings planned? >> we don't know what's next. these are the developments we'll follow this week. congress set to go on vacation at the end of the week. the expectation is if this doesn't get wrapped up, congress isn't going anywhere, and there will be a lot of folks pulling up in washington. >> might be a good idea to delay the vacation a little bit if they don't get the job done. brianna keilar in washington,

nice to see you this morning. top cnn trends on cnn.com. the music world is mourning jenni rivera. she died when her leer jet went down. authorities spotted the wreckage in nuevo leon. there were no survivors. josh brent out of jail on $500,000 bond. investigators believe he was driving drunk when his mercedes flipped and caught fire. the practice squad linebacker jerry brown died in that crash. his miami states pulling off a last-minute victory over the cincinnati bengals. everybody asking no mas? after manny pacquiao was knocked out cold at the mgm grand in las

vegas. the first time that marquez won, even though he claimed victory in the first three fights. >> paco knocked marquez down and marquez knocked paco out for two minutes. you don't see that often. >> you are in the know. you think there are is one more? uno mas? >> he told me there was one or two more fights in him before this fight. a cat scan shows neurological damage. the fifth marquez/pacmarquez/pq there is another? >> and really, guys? i don't know. >> he promised me, when he thinks manny pacquiao thinks he should hang it up, he will tell him. you have to wonder. >> you have to have time to have that conversation. head to cnn.com/trends for

more. dangerous criminals who are supposed to be deported but end up back on the streets. can you believe it? how could that happen? we'll talk to the journalist behind the disturbing new report. plus, the untold story of what may have been the most powerful pets in american history. dog who's may have won a war. ti. with the ability to improve roi through seo all by cob. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. i'm going b-i-g. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. go national. go like a pro. [ male announcer ] good choice business pro. good choice. try running four.ning a restaurant is hard, fortunately we've got ink.

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38 minutes past the hour. soledad o'brien joined us with what's on "starting point." >> president obama and john boehner meeting in private to try to work on the fiscal cliff.

we'll talk to cory booker, judy you which, connie mack and mary bono mack. and the new documentary, what does it mean to be black in this country? we take a look at racial identity in this country. and then this young lady wowed the world with her near flawless performance at the olympics, ga gabby douglas almost quit. thinking about going to work at chick-fil-a. no joke. she has a new book out. a terrific book and we'll talk about that, straight ahead. >> correspond ooh book y bookera big decision to make. >> stay as mayor? >> senator, i think. that's just me chiming in.

>> 39 minutes after the hour. in minnesota, waking up with work to do. as much as 17 inches of snow waiting to be shovelled outside. it looks nice from here. alexandra steele is in for rob marciano. >> they like it there. the banner in "the star tribune" says welcome back, winter. the biggest snow there in two years. last season, 22 inches the entire season. this is a lot of their economy too, of course. all of the snow in the winter and now finally we've seen it. maplewood, 14 inches. north of the metro area, picked up between 14 and 17 inches of snow and in minneapolis right now, 14 degrees, feeling like 3. so the arctic air in place, but when you look at the radar, the radar has moved this way, but the arctic air not in the northeast. you can see the line. everything from the record snow in minneapolis to record heat

potential until new york, washington, pensacola, and then severe weather. right now in albany, new york, upstate new york where the moisture moved in, it's 40 degrees. northern maine, 8 to 10 inches, pretty much it. the air not that cold. where the heaviest rain is. nashville, places seeing gusts to 15 miles per hour. 2 to 4 inches of rain potentially, locally. 1 to 3. heavy rain potentially severe weather. record heat today. new york city, jfk, could see 57. one degree shy of the record. and rain, incredibly foggy. could hit 60 degrees. washington. pensacola, enjoy the 60s and 70s, front moves through the east today. drops 15 to 20 degrees. everyone gets into the cold there. guys. >> alexandra steele, a whole lot of weather this morning. >> yeah. we like it! >> 41 minutes past the hour.

a shocking new report in "the boston globe." the u.s. government is quietly releasing thousands of dangerous undocumented immigrants, including rapists and murderers, back on streets because their home countries won't take them. maria is a reporter who broke this story for the globe. and i would like to start with how your report opens up. a tragic tale of a legal immigrant to this country from china, she was brutally attacked by an illegal immigrant from china, and after chen served his prison term, china refused to take him back. what happened? >> immigration officials in texas let him out more than once, and no point did they ever warn ms. wu this is a wider issue in the immigrant question. that's secrecy. they don't tell the public very

much unlike the criminal system who they arrest, who they detain, and what happens to them in the case of ms. wu, she thought the man who brutally attacked her was in china and one day, three years later, he walks through her door and shortly after that kills her. >> why is this happening? why do we have no dodknowledge it? >> the immigration system says they are a civil immigration agency, they detain people they treat like criminals whether they have a record or not and they said that they believe that this is a private matter, that they need to protect the immigrants's privacy. so when we request the name of criminals, they said that the public interest in this was minimal, and that the person's privacy interests prevailed. >> i have a question for you. have you a lawsuit against the department of homeland security is it for that purpose, to get a list of those criminals?

>> yes, it is. we are trying to get a list of names. we know 201 people convict of murder released, but we don't know their names. because the system is protecting their privacy. >> why can't they be spent one way back to their country of origin? >> every person who gets on an airplane or gets sent to another country needs a travel document, such as a passport. you can't put them on a plane and expect a country to accept them and this entire system is private, the public is largely unaware of this. a lot of countries don't take them back. we have links in our first day story about how bangladesh would routinely avoid phone calls in an attempt to deport someone. and that person ended up getting out and murdering a woman in new york. >> how do you solve the problem? >> well, our series is really about the issue of secrecy and how this whole system, immigration has become the largest law enforcement system in the country and very much

unlike the police or fbi, they operate largely in secret. so their arrests are secret, detentions are secret. today, for example, we have a story about immigrants with no criminal records detained and don't get a right to a swift and public hearing. put in jails and no one in the public has a right to know this. our criminal system is very different, because perhaps people don't want the public to know that they have been under arrest, but those public protections are there to protect the people who are -- whose liberty is taken away by the government. >> i really encourage everybody to read this. i was shocked by some of your findings. so you have another piece in tomorrow's "boston globe." a quick preview on that? >> yes, well, it starts with a 29-year-old woman from france who was trying to go back to france and she was stopped at the u.s./canadian border and jailed and she was kept in jail for 12 days, and an immigration agent made the decision to

detain her briefly and privately and died 12 days later. >> terrible story. maria, thank you so much for joining us. we really appreciate it. 45 minutes past the hour. top stories. movement in the fight over the fiscal cliff. maybe, just maybe. house speaker john bainer and the president sitting down for an unscheduled meeting at the white house yesterday. we have no details, but both sides say the lines of communication remain open. with 22 days left until severe tax hike and spending cuts will kick in. >> nelson mandela is comfortable abo after spending a second night in the hospital. there is no cause for alarm. mandela rushed from his home to the hospital on saturday. details of his condition are being kept under wraps. sunday night football. green bay quarterback aaron rodgers running for a 27-yard touchdown this is the longest touchdown run of his entire

career and illustrious career. 27-20 victory over detroit and the packers have a 22-game winning streak at home against the lions, and the packers can clinch their second straight nfc title with a win against the bears in chicago. will it happen? >> no, it won't. not against my bears. 46 past the hour. the trusted advisers of some of the most powerful men in the world. the dogs. how canines helped win world war ii and how dogs like bo obama have a special place in america. i have a cold, and i took nyquil, but i'm still stubbed up. [ male announcer ] truth is, nyquil doesn't unstuff your nose. what? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus liquid gels speeds relief to your worst cold symptoms plus has a decongestant for your stuffy nose.

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so presidential pets serve many purposes. president obama promised a dog to his daughters after he won his first election in 2008 as a way of thanking him. and past military leaders and presidents oft share a unique relationship with their dogs. "dogs of war," a new book, reveals some prizing stories famous white house pets and military leader's pets and joins to us talk about what they found. welcome. such an interesting and fun topic this morning. >> thank you, john. great to be on. >> we're talking about three dogs here. they are the main stars of your book. fdr's scottish terrier, falla, and the bull terrier, willy, and eisenhower also had a bull terrier. tell us about the dogs. >> falla is the most famous first dog in american history.

if you see in the fdr memorial down in washington, d.c., you will see a statue erected of falla right next to president roosevelt. and falla was just a very engaging, wonderful dog. you know, scotties are, and he was always traveling with roosevelt. the only time he couldn't travel with roosevelt was right before the third inauguration. he jumped into the limousine, and roosevelt said you can't ride now, falla, and falla was taken out of the car, so eleanor could get in, and he ran off. he ran away from the white house, because he was so upset. but luckily they did find him at a nearby theater. they identified him because he was wearing his collar, which said falla, the white house. >> unmistakable, no doubt. anyone who has seen the movie

"patton" is familiar with the bull terrier, willy, who played an important role. he was a real-life dog. >> actually, willy was the dog that inspired me to write the book. when i was helping a friend move one day, i took a book out of his moving van and it was patton: a genius for war," and i saw the photooff willy lying next to the general's foot lockers and briefcase right after the general passed away and one of the most moving, most beautiful photos i have ever seen and it inspired me to write the book. >> and then the last dog, the one i knew the least about, might be considered scandalous by some measures today and that's general eisenhower's dog. tell us about that. >> telik, an interesting name, it's a combination of telegraph cottage where general eisenhower stayed when he was serving in london and k, which stands for

kay summersbe, eisenhower's driver. it's open to debate whether they had a roman trick relationship or not. a combination of dogs and world war ii history and a war-time romance. >> and you say in your book, these three dogs, instrumental in helping defeat hitler. really? >> yes. absolutely. they played a very important role. can you imagine the intense pressure and stress that these three leaders went through? to go home and to have a wonderful dog waiting for you with all of the unconditional love? and i think carlos deste said it best, he wrote the foreward of the book. the world owes these dogs of war a considerable debt, and i think he's absolutely right. >> and telik was with eisenhower when the nazis came to sign their surrender and telek

actually growled when the germans walked in. >> i think dogs are very psychic, and certainly he knew that the nazis were trouble, so -- >> all right. >> we owe everything to these wonderful dogs. >> thank you. great to see you. thanks for being with us this morning. >> thank you, john. when we come back, best advice from an actor who overcame a crippling illness. and the deejays who sparked anger around the world. they speak out for the first time. so we have ongoing webinars and interactive learning, plus, in-branch seminars at over 500 locations, where our dedicated support teams help you know more so your money can do more. [ rodger ] at scottrade, seven dollar trades are just the start. our teams have the information you want when you need it. it's another reason more investors are saying... [ all ] i'm with scottrade.

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always with best ahedvice. >> we speak with actor john kondelik who lost four fingers after an accident on a movie set. >> the best advice i received, a stranger came in who was a burn survivor, and he told me a simple phrase. life moves on and it's okay. you can live still. and it just is something that as simple as that turned everything around for me. >> wow that's powerful stuff. when he said he wanted to end his life after he lost those fingers and a year later, a prosthesis and he's working. >> that is all for